The invention relates to knives and more specifically to throwing knives which are thrown by an unorthodox method similar to that of throwing a dart.
The knife is one of the oldest utility implements known to man and has been used throughout the centuries not only as a weapon but also as an implement or tool to facilitate eating and preparation of hides. In more modern times, knives have been used by outdoorsmen and soldiers for a variety of functions such as chopping, thrusting, and lastly throwing as a sport. To a very limited degree, thrown knives have been utilized as a weapon in warfare or for the killing of game.
The conventional matter of throwing a knife has been to tumble it through the air at a rotation rate so that when it reaches the target, the knife is point first with the knife axially alined with the path of movement through the air. To achieve a proper throw, the rotation rate must match the distance traveled so that the knife doesn't hit handle first or broad side to the target thrown at. A conventional sporting throwing knife is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 269,108 Utilizing knife blades on both ends of the knife allows the thrower to increase his ability to correctly align the blade as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,757 and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 170,824. Alignment accuracy was further enhanced with the throwing knives having four blades or more as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,502,219 and 4,027,389.
The throwing technique of the present invention does not involve tumbling the knife through the air but rather releasing it knifepoint forward aligned with the path on which it is to be thrown. To prevent any tumbling or rotation in flight, a tail or a stabilizing device is attached to its rearend in the same manner as the feathers on an arrow or a conventional dart. Projectiles that are thrown in this manner are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 275,236 and 3,772,781. In both of the last mentioned patents the projectile included a spherical ball attached to the shaft of the knife or dart which is engaged by the throwers hand in the same manner as a baseball is gripped and thrown.